Prince of Rikkai Dai
by Cookie-Fairy-Narnia
Summary: The music enthusiast and composer Kurani Akiza is the opposite from the tennis enthusiast Yukimura Seiichi. One scared of being looked at, the other always in the spotlight. When the two become friends their worlds collide. What will happen to the mismatched pair? Minor strong language. YukimuraOC Warning: Contains Sanada in a maid dress.
1. Chapter 1: Composer

Chapter One: Composer

**Disclaimer: For those who don't seem to know, I don't own Prince of Tennis, or any of its characters. All songs within the story have been made up by me, so please don't use them without permission. I apologize in advance for any extremely bad lyrics (that are in Romaji .)  
**

* * *

'Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.' –Paul Tillic

* * *

When I was little I lived in England with my mother and my brother. Unlike most parents, my mother didn't believe that telling fairy-tales would be a good idea. Nor did she think that allowing us to make friends would be a good idea either.

Eventually, with glowing puppy dog eyes, we'd ask "Why mama? Why can't we make friends like everyone else?"

Day after day we'd continue to ask until she'd respond "Because you aren't like everyone else. They'd just hurt you, anyway."

So instead of fairytales and friends, I grew up with music and studying. Adorable childish eyes were replaced with dull, serious ones.

Me and my brother were almost exactly the same; we're twins after all. The only difference being gender.  
He'd play the violin whilst I'd play piano, the two instruments harmonizing completely.

My room filled with more and more music books and more study guides. It became more like a library than a girl's bedroom.

Now I attend RikkaiDai Junior high school, whilst my brother says in England.  
Mother doesn't really care too much for what we do, being too immersed in her latest business deal.

* * *

The sun shone evanescently through the window, glimmering down onto my bed. I opened my eyes gently, like a princess awakening from a slumber – then gracefully got out and elegantly strolled out of my room.

Well- that's how it would've been in one of those 'fairy-tales' my mother refused to read to me. However, this was no fairy-tale and I'm no princess.

Instead, the sun glimmered through the window, but was closed off my vermillion curtains. An alarm clock rang loudly, making birds from outside flee. Slowly, like a sloth, I searched for my alarm clock with my hand without opening my eyes. After finding it, I curled back up in my fortress of solitude, going straight back to sleep.

Five minutes later, the same situation was repeated. This time, I threw the alarm clock against the floor, hoping to break it. Instead, it hit a pile of sheet music.

With no one else in the house, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to sleep for as long as I'd want.

But instead, I opened my dreary, sleep ridden eyes, and dragged myself out of bed. My feet slid across the carpet until…

Paper flew into the air, a heavy object hitting the ground.  
Strangely enough, that heavy object was me.

I don't particularly remember much, though I did happen to look like a post-apocalyptic zombie.

Dashing out the door, I headed off, sheet music in my hand.

* * *

I'm not sure why, but every time I go to school, I can't help but think 'wow...'

RikkaiDai stood proud, as always, whilst students slowly walked in whilst conversing, complaining and gossiping. Basically like any other school on a Monday. However, for once, there was a common topic that was being talked about.

"Did you hear? Yukimura Seiichi is back! Oh my god, it's like, the best thing in the universe!" A fangirl shrieked.

_Who's that? Why are they so overly obsessed? _I thought to myself.

I'll admit, I was curious. But only slightly.

* * *

From the music room, the tennis club's practice was in clear site. The tennis club's member's willpower seemed to have increased tenfold. _ Well… Meh, I have practice to do. _

My hands reached the cold keys of the piano, my breath halting for a moment.

The melody came out, quietly at first, the loudness changing with the pressure.  
My voice came out shakily, almost not wanting to be heard as my stomach tightened slightly.

"soredemo dai suki, demo watashi no kokoro ga itaii. Watashi ga shinjirou kono MELODY. Anata ga yashashii, demo sibitaii day yo." The bass kicked in, my left hand overpowering my right. The melody twisted until it was as if my right hand was playing the bass line.

At the end, with my voice gone, I whispered "owari desu ka? Tadaimazu."

I'll admit, I can't sing very well, but it's just some fun.

The bell rang, leaving me no time to get my composure back. Instead, I ran as fast as possible, my breath running out. Before long, my face and the floor met, making a thudding sound as it did so.

The ground was cold.  
In front of me was an extremely tall high schooler, whom of which was wearing a cap. Next to him was a boy with navy blue hair and brown eyes. They both looked **slightly **threatening.  
"Are you okay?" The navy blue-haired boy asked, his voice silky soft. I nodded, stood up, bowed and ran as fast as possible to my homeroom.

"Sorry- I'm- Late-" I said at the door, exasperated. I took my seat, looking out of the window.

_I wonder if I could study music at a higher level… That'd be good. Yeah, but I'd enrol as an honour student. _

"Kurani-chan, are you listening?" The homeroom teacher asked, tapping their finger on my desk.  
"Umm… no?"

Laughter was abundant as the teacher's face became more and more red. I turned back to looking out of the window, still not caring too much. I really hate mornings.

"Sorry I'm late." The door opened, everyone in the class looked up, including me. Stood at the door was a tall boy, looking rather feminine. His eyes had a hard gaze, as he walked in.

"Yukimura-kun, your seat it the empty one by the window." The teacher smiled, then going back to taking the register. Yukimura walked to the seat, now being sat in front of me. I went back to looking out of the window, not really fussed about it. Yukimura turned back to me and smiled. "You're Kurani-san, right? Are you new? Anyway, I look forward to working with you."  
"Yeah, me too." I said, whilst smiling slightly.

That was all we said to each other, though I didn't really care.  
Okay, I did care a little. Just a little.

I know that it wasn't very eventful, but that was the first time I talked with Yukimura Seiichi properly.

If only I had known what was about to unfold.

* * *

**Translation for the lyrics (that I created): "Even so, I still love you. But my heart hears. I believe in this MELODY. You are nice, but cold."  
"Is it over. I'm home."**

**(Sorry that this didn't contain very much of Yukimura! Don't worry though, I'm sure that he'll get more screen time.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Artist

Chapter two: Artist

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. **

You know, I think that llamas are rather beautiful? They're fluffy and have a face you can't say no to.

"KURANI AKIZA, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?!" The homeroom teacher shouted, jolting me back to reality.  
I really don't like homeroom; I don't learn anything. In most lessons, you learn something or at least do something interesting. But no, instead we sit and listen to the teacher ramble on about trivial things.

"Okay, any nominations for class reps?" The teacher asked. People looked to one another, smiling.  
"I nominate Kurani-san." A girl with brown hair said, giggling. Others joined in with her laughter, but I got up anyway.

Now stood in front of the class, I was slightly annoyed.

Fine. I was **extremely **annoyed.  
"We need a male class rep." My voice had no enthusiasm, its pitch not changing. "Okay, you." I pointed to the person with their hand up, and they stood up happily.  
It took an extra moment for me to actually realize who had volunteered. Everyone else seemed to be as amazed as I was.

I'll admit, if not for him, I doubt anyone would've volunteered. But still…  
"Yukimura-san?" The words almost not heard, I thought I was dreaming.

If only.

Well – if I was dreaming, I'd get my happily ever after. But instead, I received a large amount of dirty looks from various girls from my class. I sighed as I once again remembered the reason I was never told fairy tales.

_"Mama, can we read this?" A squeaky voice said.  
"Ki-chan, those stories aren't real. Its better you leave those be. I'll play the piano for you instead, 'kay?"_

The memories flooded back, as if it had happened yesterday.  
"Kurani-san?" The voice brought me back to reality, making all else seem irrelevant.

I smiled gently, though I doubt people could tell. "Sorry, I was zoning out."  
Yukimura smiled back. "So, volunteers for being committee members?"

After that, the rest of the day is a blur, though I did manage to fall asleep during lunch.

Before long, as if it was magic, the bell rang. I ran out, beaming with happiness. _Wait…_ I thought to myself, as I realized something.

_He _was visiting.  
Suddenly, I felt less motivated to get home. However, as my stomach grumbled, I was compelled to go and eat some food.

As I opened the door, my heart almost skipped a beat. Straight away, I could tell he was there. Shoes off, I strolled into the lounge. Knuckles cracked. SLAM!  
"What are you doing?!" His voice was imprudent.  
"Hitting you."  
"I can tell!"  
"So?"  
"Stop!"

I sighed, putting my bag on a chair. "What do you want?"  
"I came to give you your living expenses for next month. Oh, and the music lesson fees." He said, whilst glaring at an envelope on the table.  
Smiling fakely, I took the crumpled envelope off the desk. "You know, you should really cut your bangs."  
"Why?"  
"You can't see your face very well. Still scared of being stared at, I see."  
I huffed, not particularly caring. "How's my baby?" He added.

Okay, you're probably confused. Sat before me was my cousin Tamaki, who for the record, isn't my favourite person in the universe (surprising, I know.)

"Please just call it by its normal name." I whispered, already exasperated.  
"Oi, I'm still your guardian, y'know?"  
"But you're never here."  
"Would you like me to always be here?"  
I shook my head violently, walking over to my 'music room.' Though, honestly, it was like most rooms, just slightly cleaner. Sheet music and books filled the floor, the upright piano seeming to be the only clean thing in the room. A blue chair shoved in the corner, a violin case plopped on it.  
"Here's my baby!" Tamaki squealed, almost hugging the piano. His expression changed as his wavy hair covered his face.  
"What. Did. You. Do?" His voice echoed, showing no sign of the previous excitement. I smiled. "Played it."  
"For goodness sake, I'll have to come back in two days to tune it."

At that one moment at time, I felt like my world had collapsed. Small world, huh.

"How's it going with the violin? Can you play that tune yet?" Tamaki smiled again, back to his normal, extremely happy-go-lucky self.  
"Nope, no luck yet. I still have to memorize the scale for it. It's improved though."  
"It's a shame that you keep your bangs covering your eyes. Anyway, good luck."

That was all that was said. With nothing else to do or say, Tamaki left as though he hadn't seen me.

That next day, I got stuck. Composing is always quite fun, but with so many potential tunes, it's always hard to pick which one to go with. Normally, I'd ask my twin brother, but with him be quite far away, I didn't have very many options. That's round about the time I looked for the art teacher to hand in a project. There I heard Brahms 4th Symphony playing relatively quietly.

I guess I'd be like a moth to a flame – when it comes to music. Instinctively, I followed the sound, not really thinking about much else.  
Keep in mind, this was in the morning, meaning that I can't think of more than one thing at a time.

Before long, I was stood in a music room with Yukimura Seiichi looking at me. I opened my mouth, though with nothing to say I said the first thing in my head.  
"You like this symphony?" I asked smiling as best as I could. He nodded, smiling gently.  
"Umm… Sorry about yesterday." I bowed, though he wasn't looking at me, too immersed in a painting of some form. "It's really raining, huh." I muttered, with nothing else to say. Yukimura looked up from his painting, putting the brush down for a moment.

"Do you need something?" Yukimura asked politely. "You look a bit flustered."  
With nothing to say, I cracked my knuckles, trying to come up with something.  
"Umm… Well, I'm of having trouble with playing the piano." Yukimura looked at me, his face composed. "If you don't mind, could you help me with writing a song?"

There was silence.

"Sure, I don't see why not. However, I do have tennis practice normally, so I doubt I'd be much help."  
"Its fine, I just can't decide on what to play."


	3. Chapter 3: Duo

Chapter 3: Duo

**Disclaimer: I don't own prince of tennis. Shame, I know…**

Whenever I hear the word awkward, several different situations come to mind; all of the things I imagine being _extremely _awkward.

But it seems that somehow, I proved myself wrong.

**This **was worse.

"Sorry for the inconvenience." I muttered, cracking my knuckles, my hands near the piano's keys. Yukimura said nothing, probably not have hearing what I had said. With a deep breath, I readied myself.

"So I'll play what I've written so far."

Silence.

I played the tune. Nerves disappeared as all that mattered to me was the keys that my fingers touched and the notes that they created by doing so. My mind got caught up in the tune until…

I mean no offence or anything, but I kind of forgot that he there. "Um… What do you think?"  
"It's good. The song seems to tell a story of its own; a rather sad one at that."  
"I based it on a story I handed in for English."  
"What about?"  
"It was a love story."

Silence.  
"Can you play?" I asked, whilst playing a chord pattern.  
"Not particularly well, no."

I tapped at the space of the stool beside me, and Yukimura took a seat. A moment later and it finally sank in that we were extremely close together.

_Breathe. _I thought to myself, almost as if I couldn't without the mental reminder.  
"If I show you a simple tune can you play repeatedly?"  
A nod later and I was showing Yukimura a melody I learnt when I was a child; something me and my family had composed together. The easy part of it was four notes that were played together then consecutively, it looping over and over again.

The other part was slightly harder, as it used both hands, though it wasn't too difficult. After all, it was created when me and my brother were too young to remember anything hard.  
A base note and the melody played by me, a deeper bass rhythm played by Yukimura.

A couple of minutes later, we finally played it properly.  
No more awkwardness, just harmonized music filled the room. The pattern Yukimura played bounced like a kid in a sweet shop, whilst the melody I played balanced it out with a laid back, but fast paced melody. I smiled, nostalgia kicking in as the memories of me and my family playing it flooded back.

The music stopped, the bell went.

It was over.

During homeroom, we didn't do very much. Yukimura turned around and poked me when I fell asleep, though lots of various different people stared at me.

Not surprising, though. With bangs that cover my eyes and the least enthusiastic face ever seen, I'm pretty sure I stand out (unfortunately.) The fact that I always spaced out during homeroom didn't help.

Drama was next.  
Great…

Actually, for once in my life, that wasn't sarcasm. Drama is great! A chance to show the world that I'm a drama queen is always a positive thing.

The drama teacher, exuberant as ever announced "As a trial, we'll be teaming up with students from other classes. My little lamb cakes will be picking out numbers in this box. The number you are bestowed upon is your group. Have a fabulous time!" Though the teacher was male, his voice came out in a girly squeal.

Queuing, I find to be the second worst thing in the world other than paperwork. Then, when I **finally **get to the front, I get the number 5.

There were lines for the different groups, so I went to the queue named '5' (obviously.)  
I then realized that all the other people in my groups were guys. One of them had red hair, whilst the other looked familiar.

_That guy… Oh yeah, the one I bumped in to before. The high schoo- WAIT! He's in my year?_

With only one person left to fill the group it was… "It seems that we'll be working together." The voice was silky soft, as Yukimura smiled gently. I blinked a couple of times, looking at the two other guys. _If I recall correctly, he's the vice-captain of the tennis club. And that guy with bubble-gum is the 2nd most popular in our year._  
"Sanada Genichiro, nice to meet you."  
"Bunta Marui, nice to meet ya"  
"Kurani Akiza, I look forward to working with you all." I bowed slightly, though I didn't see the need to bow too deeply, since there was not too much need for formality.

"Okay, sugar cakes~ Now that you're into your fan-tablious* groups, I'll introduce the four potential characters for the Comedia dell arte project. No. 1 Isabella, the melodramatic type. No. 2 Arlechinno, the hyperactive type. No. 3 Silvio, the head over heels type and finally No. 4 Columbina, the sarcastic maid type. These are your choices, decide happily in your groups my precious butter cakes~"

"Can I be Isabella?" I asked, smiling happily.  
"Sure." Sanada said, looking a little too grumpy. Though, to be honest, at the time I hadn't seen him change expression at all.  
"I'll be Arlechinno." Marui said.  
"I guess I don't mind being Silvio." Yukimura said. "You'll have to be Columbina."

Sanada looked even more unhappy than before. _He can change expression. Huh, who would've thought it? _

"I guess, darlings, that I should give you some more information now. I presume that you all have decided? So, Isabella and Silvio are in L. O. V. E. Love! Arlechinno likes Columbina. Arlechinno serves his master Silvio whist Columbina serves Isabella. Scripts will be handed out soon. Oh, and you'll have to wear costume for the final exam. I hope all the Columbinas out there like maid dresses~"

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with laughter. Just the thought of Sanada in a dress made me roll on the floor laughing. Literally.

"What's so funny?" They all asked.  
"Sanada- in- a- dress!"  
Yukimura tried to hold back his laughter, but Marui was just like me, dying on the floor. Before long, Yukimura joined us.

But seriously, just imagine Sanada with a maid dress on, the stockings and everything.  
Ow, it hurts.

I don't know why, but Sanada didn't find the idea as amusing as we did.

* * *

***fan-tablious is not a actual word. I made it up. **  
***Comedia Dell Arte is improvised comedy that flourished in the 16th century.**


	4. Chapter 4: Friends?

Chapter Four: Friends?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of tennis.**

Waking up had never hurt so much as my stomach muscles were still in pain from the day before.

As usual I got up in a grumpy way, though I had something to look forward to, apart from the usual. Because of it, a huge idiotic grin was plastered on my face.

Somehow, being able to play the piano with Yukimura make me happy.

Now that I think back on it, Yukimura was probably the first 'friend' that I had ever had. Well… other than family members, that is.

When I arrived, there was the urge to run to school, as rain covered everything. So I fast as my legs would let me go. I ran far and fast, making sure to get to the music room as fast as possible.

Sat on the floor outside of the room, sketching in a book looking rather care expression was Yukimura.  
"Morning." I greeted, smiling. Yukimura looked up, smiling back at me. "Don't you have tennis practice?"  
"I'm not allowed to do anything straining until some results come back from the doctors. I would watch them, but I'm not allowed. Yanagi said that it wouldn't make much difference so I should learn something new."

All I could do was nod and smile, not knowing what else I could do.

We went inside, not saying anything else. _Who's Yanagi? _I wondered to myself, not really sure if I should ask or not.

"Right, so shall we create a piece of music like the one yesterday?" I asked, though the question lingered on my tongue. Yukimura agreed with me.

"Umm… Sorry for asking this randomly, but who's Yanagi?"

Silence.

Then, almost out of nowhere, Yukimura spoke. "He's the treasurer of the tennis club. There's also others as well. I'll introduce you at break if you want? We could go to Sanada's classroom?"

A nod later, and we got down to composing.  
Sat like the previous day, I felt extremely close to Yukimura. As he breathed out, I could feel it near my face. Seriously, I almost jumped out of my own skin.

Next thing I knew, melodies intertwined as ideas came to life in the form of music. I turned to Yukimura and smiled, extremely happy with being able to do this.

As the bell went, I felt a little disappointed that we carry on creating music.  
I guess I just really liked being with Yukimura.  
Though, at the same time, my heart felt as though it was going to jump out of my chest.

For once in my life, I actually paid attention in homeroom. Though, I was humming my part of the tune me and Yukimura had created. I could've sworn that he was humming the other part of it. However, it could've been my imagination.

Before long, we had French, in which I had to focus as hard as physically possible to understand everything.

Then break arrived.  
Yukimura walked over, smiling happily. "Shall we go?"  
"Where?"  
"To meet the other regulars."

I could feel people glare at me as we walked down the corridor.  
Walking into the classroom, there was a change in atmosphere. People stared as the three most popular boys were in the same room.

Yukimura was no. 1. Second was Marui, followed by Niou. They all looked at me, probably wondering who I was, and why I was with Yukimura. I bowed, deciding that it'd be best to introduce myself.  
"I'm Kurani Akiza, it's nice to meet you all."

"I think I've seen her from somewhere…" One of them said, though I don't remember which one. "I remember! You're piano girl, right? The girl who's always playing the piano. I know I'm right!"

To be honest, that nickname wasn't half bad. "Yeah, I love to play the piano, but please don't call me piano girl."

A kouhai* walked into the classroom casually, strolling up to the table. "Akaya, this is Kurani Akiza." Yukimura introduced me, smiling.  
He nodded, not saying a word to me. "_Ugly" _The kid mouthed to me.

Almost like an instinct, I thumped him on his head, it almost being audible. "Buchou, is she your girlfriend or something?"  
"No, just a friend."  
"Oh…" "_Sorry." _He mouthed to me. The others conversed in what seemed to be tennis related, whilst the kouhai didn't avert his gaze that was directed at me. _He's staring… _I thought, my hand shaking slightly.

"You know its manners to introduce yourself." I muttered, smiling as naturally as possible.  
"Kirihara Akaya."  
"Akaya is okay then?"  
"What happened to honorifics?"  
I shrugged, smiling.  
"Sorry, I thought that you were a tennis player or something, so I just kind of… um… Sorry."  
"It's fine." I then realized that he sounded slightly sarcastic.

"Just don't do it again." I said, realizing that he reminded me of Tamaki. Now I knew the reason I wanted to give him a high-five… with a chair.  
"Yukimura, you're friends letting out a demonic aura."  
"Scary…" Marui said, munching on donuts.

"Can I have one?" I asked, distracted by the premise of food.  
"Okay, but you have to promise me something?"  
"What?"  
"That you'll never, and I mean, never, ever, forget Sanada wearing a maid dress."  
We all laughed… Well, apart from Sanada.

"Sanada-fukubuchou, is there something you're not telling us?"

* * *

***kouhai = underclassman**


	5. Chapter 5: Jealousy

Chapter Five: Jealousy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. **

School life had become interesting, yet scary ever since I had met Yukimura. When with the tennis club, everything was great as we laughed quite a lot. They also didn't ask about my bangs, so it's always a plus.

Today was a glorious day off, one of which I basked in its honour. Fortunately, I also had a piano lesson to attend to. Looking in the mirror, I saw that the blue blouse and black leggings that I was wearing actually matched. Considering that normally I end up wearing weird discount clothing, it was a miracle.

My piano tutor was a nice person, though she was stern when it came to playing the piano. I had to pin my hair back so I could read the notes on the stave properly. Sensei would sit on a chair directed in the opposite direction I was in as I did so, arms folded and legs crossed. To be fair, though, she only did that because the thought of her staring at my eyes made me unable to play properly.

Fingers touched the keys on the piano, the hidden beauty of the notes on the stave unleashed.

Clicking her fingers, the teacher made sure I was playing it at the correct speed.

My phone vibrated in my coat pocket, which was hung up. The teacher went to get it. Without looking at me, she handed me the phone. "Thanks." Though she couldn't see it, I was smiling.

The text was from Yukimura, entitled 'Hello.' _Wow… Original title. _I thought to myself.  
It said:

'Hello. If you're free, do you want to go to the shopping centre with us? The regulars will be there as well.'

A grin appeared on my face as I felt rather happy. Having friends made me happy.

"Who is it?" My teacher asked.  
"A friend."  
"I thought you didn't have friends?"  
I shrugged my shoulders; but then realized that she couldn't see me. "Same, but it seems that I have. It's amazing, I know."  
"Your friend's name is...?"  
"Yukimura Seiichi."  
Nothing else was said, we just finished the lesson. In the end, she gave me some sheet music and chord patterns to practice, then said "Good luck! Ah, youth is nice. Show me a picture next time, 'kay?"

With nothing to say, I left, going to meet everyone.

* * *

"Hello…" I said, holding my hand up, trying to get my breath back.  
Yagyu, Marui as well as everyone else was there, all looking relatively happy. I only say that because I don't think it's possible for Sanada to look happy.

We went to a café, sat at an extremely big table. After all, there were a lot of us.  
People stared at Niou, Marui and Yukimura. Unfortunately, they also stared at me – not that I blame them. It must've look suspicious. One girl among a huge group of guys. Sanada didn't help by glaring at everyone.

Once sat down, we started talking.

"Kurani-san, why don't you tell us more about you?" Yanagi asked, pushing his glasses up. I shuddered, slightly scared of his demonic aura.

So I told them about my phobia and my past.

* * *

"I see." Yanagi said, writing it down in a notebook.

"Did you hear? Buchou is finally coming back to the team!" Marui said rather happily, though he sounded a little too laid back.  
"Congrats." I smiled, sipping my coke.

Seriously, never give me something loaded with sugar.

"Let's go to the zoo!" I shouted, swaying from side to side. Yanagi once again, wrote something into his note pad.  
"Why do you want to go?"  
"LLAMAS!"

"Oi, Sanda-san, can I call you Sana-chan?" I asked, smiling happily.

I really love sugar.

Sanada, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to hit me. Well – either that or people always exude murderous auras.

Actually, this **is** Sana-chan we're talking about. "I'll take that as a yes then~"  
"How about this, you can call him Sana-chan if you can look him in the eye for 4 seconds?" Niou suggested, his eyes twinkling. _He's plotting something. _

I lifted my bangs and closed my eyes. _Just look at his forehead. Forehead…_

Looking at his forehead, I blocked everything else out. _One… Two… Three… Four… _

"I win! Sana-chan, you lost!" I grinned.

Okay, I technically cheated. But to be fair… Fine, it wasn't fair.  
"Kurani-san, your eyes are chartreuse?" Yukimura asked, looking curious.  
I nodded.

"Anyway, enough about me, how did you all meet?"

* * *

A long talk later, we parted ways.

I never knew how painful laughing could be. Though I wasn't infatuated with them, like the majority of the student body, I sort of understood why they felt that way.

Once I got home, I sat down and studied 'till I got tired and slept.  
My life is so exciting.

I had a weird dream that night…

_"Kurani-san?" A soft voice called my name, enveloped me with their warm voice.  
"Yukimura-san?" _

_Stood next to him was Sana-chan in a fluttery maid outfit, with the stocking and head band on as well. And stood next to Sana-chan was… _

_A fluffy Llama.  
"Kurani-san, I have something I need to tell you." Yukimura looked serious for a moment and got on one knee.  
"Please… Umm… I ate all the donuts."_

Seriously, it was the scariest dream that I've had in a while.


	6. Chapter 6: Study Bug

Chapter Six: Study Bug.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own prince of tennis. **

* * *

Everything had seemingly reverted back to normal.

Yukimura went back to playing tennis, and I went back to playing the piano on my own. I had no reason to complain.

After telling the regulars of an app that you can use to send people photos, the regulars sent me updates regularly. Normally it'd be a picture of one of them making an extremely stupid face, but either way, a smile would always appear on my face after looking at it.

Sat at my piano, I decided that a happy bouncy composition was in order.  
Once I got the basic melody, I just went with the flow. Though I got several of the notes wrong, I was still proud of my achievement.

Once the bell went, I gathered my things, trying my hardest to not fall asleep as I did so.

* * *

Unfortunately, there was a class rep. meeting, which meant staying behind after school. Yukimura didn't mind, though he didn't look all too happy about missing practice.

School passed, until I was sat at my chair, head on the table, waiting for Yukimura. We had agreed to meet and go together but… I closed my eyes, and drifted off into an abyss of solitude.

A book… That was the first thing I saw. My eyes squinted at the light, and my body felt heavy. A heavy sigh and a stretch later, I realized that I had fallen asleep.

However, as I put my hands on my shoulders', I felt a jacket. Pulling it off, I saw a yellow jersey. _This is… This belongs to…_

I sat, confused, not remembering where it was from. Instead, I looked at the notepad in front of me, with a note saying:

'Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up. Here are the notes for the meeting.'

With a sigh and a minor smile, I yawned. _Better get home, then, huh. Might as well wear this jersey._

I walked off, jersey on my shoulders', bag in hand, notebook in the other.  
A group of girls glared at me, though I didn't know why.

"Oi, cursed mushroom, why are you wearing that?" A girl with tangerine skin asked. To be honest, she looked like she had face-planted into a bucket of orange liquid.  
"Who knows?" I replied, not awake enough to process questions.  
"Y'know, you're totally like, using the tennis club."  
Seriously, her voice was annoying. She sounded like my alarm: high pitch and once set off, never shuts up. So instead of saying of saying anything, I walked off, too tired to give a crap.

Yeah… Probably shouldn't have done that…  
A good night sleep later, and the incident drifted from my mind.

* * *

The next day, instead of going to the music room, I went to the tennis club. I think I scared some of the first years though. They thought I was someone from a horror film they had seen. To be fair, I do tend to look like a post-apocalyptic zombie in the morning.

"Good morning. What brings you here, Kurani-san?" Yagyu asked, pushing up his glasses.

I think I'm scared of people who wear glasses. It's just that Yanagi and Yagyu give out a menacing aura. Well, Yagyu is actually a gentlemen, but it's equally scary.

I held out a bag containing the jersey. "Umm, someone gave me this when I fell asleep. Could you give it back to them?"  
"Who gave it you?"  
Running off, I waved goodbye. "Who knows?"

It didn't take long for the bell to go and the day to start.

* * *

"Good morning Kurani-san." Yukimura greeted. "Did you get my notes?"  
"Yeah." I smiled, quite happy for his consideration; quite tired as well.  
"That's good. Sanada looked rather cold after giving you his jersey, though Yagyuu gave it him during practice." Yukimura smiled, then turned around, looking at the teacher.

Sana-chan can be thoughtful… who would've thought it?  
I stared out the window throughout homeroom, snapping back to reality every so often.

The homeroom teacher didn't say anything for once, seeming to be too happy to care.

_We have drama today… _  
The thought made me jump for joy. Not literally though, otherwise it might have scared a lot of people.

* * *

"Oh, I'm alone, I'm neglected, and I'm deserted!" I said dramatically, using over the top gestures as I did so.

Drama was fun, as always. Sana-chan seemed less than pleased as he said his lines.

"What is it this time, ojou-sama?" The words came out, Sana-chan looking like a rusty robot.  
I flopped onto the floor like a dying fish whilst clapping like a demented seal. Attractive, I know. It's just that whenever Sana-chan said his lines, it made me convulse in laughter.

Yeah… I don't think that was normal.

Not only that, but every take we got wrong, the bigger the threatening aura Sana-chan created became.

Meanwhile, Yukimura and Marui practised their part of the script.  
However, the end was the bit that killed my insides.

"Where are you going?" Yukimura asked.  
"Round… the back of the kitchens… For a second round." Sana-chan sounded like he was going to brutally murder someone. I cried. It was emotional, after all.

* * *

"Sana-chan cheer up." I said, trying to sound feminine.

Instead, I sounded like a dying chipmunk. My poor throat.  
Sana-chan glared at me, though he looked less threatening than before.

I smiled, though he still gave out an ominous aura.

"They look like a couple." A pair of girls giggled behind me, purposely being within ear shot.  
I clenched my knuckles, annoyed.

Though I had no retort, nothing to say, I still turned round. The two girls looked at me, trying to look intimidating. However, with both me and Sana-chan glaring at them, they looked at the floor as the pair walked off.

"Let's get back to work."

* * *

Looking up at the sky whilst listening to music has, and always will be, the best therapy for me.

_I wonder what my brother is doing in England at the moment.  
I should call soon… _

_That cloud looks like a llama!_

My thoughts wandered onto different tangents. A face blocked my vision.  
"Kurani-san, are you okay?"

I pulled a headphone out, blinking a couple of times. "Yukimura-san? Oh, I'm fine." Knowing it was just Yukimura, I laid back down again. He laid next to me, putting down a bag of what seemed to be shopping.

"Yukimura-san, can I ask you a question?"  
"Isn't that a question?" Yukimura replied.  
I smiled and laughed slightly, but ignored him. "I'll take that as a yes then. Why do people get so jealous of one another, so much so that they talk about them behind their backs?"

Silence.

We just looked up into the sky, not saying anything.  
"I don't know, to be honest. Kurani-san, you shouldn't worry about it, though. Those people should just be avoided."

"It's just that I don't know why but I feel annoyed. They didn't bother me before, but now…" I whispered, looking up at the sky.

_What am I saying? Idiot! _I thought to myself.

Yukimura sat up, looking down at me. "Just think 'good job I didn't turn out like that.'"  
We both smiled, laughing as we did so.  
Though, to be fair, it wasn't all that funny. A weight was off of my chest, my conscience relieved. I stood up, smiling.

"I feel much better now. I better get back home and study." I walked off, waving.

That night, I tried my hardest at the things I'm good at. Social skill aren't forte, so I decided that I should stick to what I knew.

Piano and studying were the things I knew.

I felt much better after I checked my phone to find several photos sent on the app I showed the regulars. A photo of cookies Marui had bought, a picture of a wall from Sana-chan (amazing, I know.) Best of all, a picture of a lily from Yukimura.

Friends are really nice, aren't they?


	7. Chapter 7: Alone

Chapter 7: Alone

**Disclaimer: I don't own prince of tennis.  
**

* * *

Mornings were the same, as usual. I looked the same as usual.  
My bangs covered my face, the dirty blonde scruffy… I mean, my hair was wavy, it sticking up in certain places… like normal.

Yes, everything was normal. Or well, that's what I thought.

As I walked downstairs, I noticed something on the sofa. It was moving from side to side.  
It was swaying? I sighed. I had panicked for no reason.

"You should call to at least tell me when you're coming back." I said, rubbing my eyes.  
"I thought twins were psychic." He replied.  
"Maybe there was no signal?" We laughed. "Sa-kun, how long as it been?"

My brother Satsuki (aka Sa-kun) studied in England for a while, and now, without a word of warning, he was back. "Oh, and Tamaki says he's coming round today so he can tune the piano and sort out the paperwork for me going to school."

I tried to ignore what he had just said, changing the subject.

"So you'll be going to Rikkai Dai?" I asked, though my eyes felt heavy.  
"No, I'll be attending Hyotei as an honour student. I took the test a while ago, but I didn't want to mention it."

I glared at my brother, annoyed. "You know, you should really cut your fringe. You look hideous like that." He told me.

I stuffed toast in my mouth, more than ready to leave. "So? Like hell I care. I'm going to school. Make your own food. Touch my piano and I'll disown you as a brother."

For the record, my brother isn't a mean person. In fact, he's rather nice. However, he's like me when it comes to mornings... just worse.

* * *

"Morning." I greeted.  
"Morning, Kurani-sempai." Akaya greeted. The other regulars also greeted me.

I smiled, though I'd have much preferred to sleep.

Melodies rushed out, harmonization filling the room. I closed my eyes, listening to the soft music the piano made. I jumped at every wrong note I made, sighing by the end.

* * *

School was the same as usual, with the addition of a maths test. By the end of the test, I was stretching my arms and legs, rather happy that I'm a study bug.

"Kurani-san, how do you think you did on the test?" Yukimura asked me. I gave him a thumbs up, knowing it was the best method to tell him.

"How about you?" I asked, smiling. He also gave me thumbs up, as we walked off ready to have lunch.

A realization came to me, I had forgotten my bento.  
I sat on the rooftop with the regulars, my stomach grumbling. They offered food, but I kindly rejected it, not liking the thought of being indebted.

My phone rang. I looked at it, seeing that it was my brother.

"Hello?" I greeted.  
"Hello. It's your favourite cousin Ta-"  
I hung up.

"Who was that?" Marui asked, handing me some gum.  
I took it happily, though sighed. "My annoying cousin."

"If you knew it was him then why did you pick it up?" Akaya asked. I blew bubbles with the gum, pretending not to hear him.

My phone buzzed again. I picked it up.

"What?" My voice was monotone.  
"Why did you hang up on me? I was on the phone to your piano teacher. You have friends? And who's this Yukimura Seiichi? Is he there? Put him on the phone."

Tamaki sounded more like a mother than a cousin. I put the phone on speaker phone, as all of us gathered round.  
"Hello?" Yukimura said, sounding rather calm.  
"What do you like about our Ki-chan?" I was getting more and more annoyed by the second.

I guess it's just the 'Tamaki' effect.

"I love…" Yukimura took a deep breath. "The music she creates."

I think he made me lose a couple of years of my life.

* * *

Home was like hell on earth. Both my annoying brother Satsuki and my extremely annoying cousin Tamaki pestered me for details.

"Okaa-san called. She asked if you were doing okay." Sa-kun smiled. "Why don't you bring your boy- I mean… friends round?"

I conceded, saying that I'd ask. _Why does my household have to be so annoying? I can't study like this! _

There was no point in being in my room if I wasn't going to study so I went downstairs, going to my piano.

Then I heard it. Quiet and whimsical, yet sincere and eternally deep.

I don't know why, but when Sa-kun plays his violin, the hairs on my arms stand on end and I wonder 'how on earth are we related?'

I entered silently, sat at the piano. Cracking my knuckles, I play the accompaniment.

Don't worry, I'm not psychic. Though I sometimes wish that I was.  
We always played this song, ever since we were little. Even though I study violin with my piano teacher once a fortnight, I've never been able to play this tune. Tamaki always brings is up as well, just to annoy me.

I remember when we were little, we were so innocent. When we played, we grinned like idiots every time we got a note right. Mother, on the other hand, was less than thrilled with our performance.

The thing is, by the end of the performance, we were both crying of happiness. We had practiced and practiced, and then, finally, we reached our goal.

Now that I think about it, we were really simple-minded. We saw only our music, and we didn't worry about being in time with one another. I don't think our brains could process multiple thoughts at one…

Simple-minded, that's us.

"Ki-chan, let's go get dinner. We'll eat out." Sa-kun smiled.

With wavy dirty blonde hair and chartreuse eyes, Sa-kun and I used to always be compared to one another. "Look, it's the Kurani twins! Aren't they both the same, apart from gender?" Is what women from our neighbourhood used to say.

Even now, we resemble one another. Especially the bangs that cover his face.

WcDonalds was delicious (as always.) I think the three of us scared a few people, especially Tamaki. He looked like a starved chimpanzee.

Wait… He **was **a starved chimpanzee.

My day was ruined once Tamaki told me how he was staying here until the paperwork was finished.

I had to call Yukimura as well, awkwardly asking if he'd come round. He sounded rather sceptical about it, but accepted nonetheless.

* * *

When I woke up, I blinked a couple of times, thinking that I must be still asleep.

It was… clean!

No books and clothes filled the floor, everything being in its rightful place.

More importantly, I smelled food. Tamaki stood rather proudly in a pink frilly apron, cooking eggs.

"Hurry and sit down, otherwise I won't make you breakfast." Tamaki ordered, holding a wooden spoon.

I sat at my table, tapping a tune on the table. "Where's Sa-kun?" I asked, extremely bored.  
"He's probably sleeping. Leave him be, though, he was up all night doing paperwork."

I think something snapped within Tamaki as he began to exude a menacing aura. "Did you ask that boy to come round?"

I shuddered.

"Yeah, he's coming round today."


	8. Chapter 8: Dread

Chapter 8: Dread

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.  
**

* * *

One hour.  
I had one hour until the end of the school day. After that I would have until tennis practice was over.

Instead of being worried about myself being in a house full of idiots, I was more worried for Yukimura. Though they didn't act like it much, I did live with two guys (though their masculinity wasn't very apparent.)  
Not only that, but they were absolutely nutters.

Perhaps it runs in the family.

Sighing, I collected my books, ready to eat the bento Tamaki had prepared.  
I'm pretty sure housework is the only thing he's good at.

Looking out of the music room window, I smile at the sight of the tennis club practising. _I wonder if I could do that… _I thought to myself, imagining me run 30 laps. _Nope… Better stick to piano instead. _

Oh the irony. Don't worry, It'll be mentioned later.

The music room door opened, and I glared at the person who entered. With sweat pants and cookies as well as a violin case, my brother is probably the weirdest person I'll ever meet. Well – apart from me, that is.

"Ki-chan, I brought cookies."  
"Don't you know how to knock?" I glared in his direction.  
"Of course I do… I just temporarily forgot." Na-kun smiled happily.

I glared at him suspiciously.

Let me clear something. My brother was like me. Or, well, to specify, like the old me. Alone, bored and had nothing to lose. Sitting down in a chair, he leaned forward, twiddling his thumbs.

"Remember when we little? We always had our little bets, didn't we? 'Whoever gets the highest on the next test wins'" Na-kun imitated a child's voice. "How about another bet in celebration of me coming back?"

I lifted my hands away from the piano, turning to my brother. "I'm listening."  
"Two months. We have our own 'transformations.' Whoever has the biggest improvement wins. Tamaki is the independent adjudicator. Are you in?"

"What do I get if I win?" I asked.  
"Hmm… You can decide once you win."  
"And if I lose?"  
"You go back to the way you were. No friends. No japan. Nothing."

"Jackass" I muttered.

My brother suffered from social anxiety, passing out when in 'stressful' social situations. He hid himself from everyone else, trying to hide behind me at every turn.

However, ever since I had left him to study and went to Japan, things had been different.

I held out my hand. "Fine, deal."

It had begun.

At that time, I didn't know how serious he was about it, or about how much I had put on stake.

* * *

Once the time came to go to my house, with Yukimura, I sudden became a little too nervous. Mainly because what seemed to be the entire tennis club was staring at me.

That didn't particularly help. Well… unless feeling nauseous is considered helpful.  
It isn't? Who would've thought it?

"Kurani-san, let's go." Yukimura smiled. "Who's that?" He politely pointed to the wandering spirit attached to my back.

"Oh that's my brother. Don't mind him, he's just slightly terrified, that's all."

Sana-chan glared at us from where he was stood, which was fortunately relatively far away. Now that I think about it, Na-kun was probably scared of Sana-chan. Yukimura also gave off a rather serious aura. Though, Yukimura was always quite serious when it came to tennis.

Silence.

We walked, though no one spoke. Humming to close the silence was the only good idea I had.

* * *

"So you must be Yukimura, huh?"

I sighed, putting my head down. That was all Tamaki had said… that seemed relatively normal.

I'll rewind a little. We walked inside, taking our shoes off, Yukimura politely saying "Sorry for the intrusion." Then, out of nowhere, a ladle came flying at our heads. I snapped, hitting Tamaki on the head with the same ladle.

Unfortunately, it only got worse.

Tamaki served tea, looking rather calm after being hit on the head. He then flipped the table over, yelling "What did you do to my precious cousin!"

Once again, I hit him on the head, telling him "Go get the ingredients for dinner… or something! You know what, I don't care what it is! Just do something productive for once in your life!"

Yukimura carried on smiling, looking quite amused.  
"Do you want to play our composition? C'mon, we even have a piano." I grinned, dragging Yukimura by the hand.

He sat down on the piano stood with me, not saying anything. "1. 2. 3. 4."  
I counted us in, and the music flowed out. At first it wasn't synchronized, but after a couple of bars, the melody and bass were in complete harmony.

As our composition ended, Na-kun gave us a round of applause. We laughed slightly, making sure to take a bow.

"Now, shall we have a nice chat?" I said, giving them both a menacing grin.

* * *

"You made a bet?"

We sat at the table, tea in my hands. "Yeah."

"And you want my help? Why me?" Yukimura seemed more and more confused.

"Yeah." Was my only reply, though I disregarded his second question.  
"Why does he turn what you say into a question?" Na-kun added.

I laughed slightly.  
"I know it's a stupid bet-"  
"It's not stupid. Facing what you're scared of isn't stupid; changing yourself for the better is not stupid. My motto is 'If you have not experience winter, then you cannot understand spring's warmth' for a reason, you know. I'll help." Yukimura's expression changed, for just a moment. A kind smiling face replaced with sheer seriousness.

With a slam of the door, Tamaki came back. Na-kun shrieked, hiding under the table.

"I'm back. This guy helped me when I dropped my bags."  
"Sana-chan!"  
"S-s-s-scary!" Na-kun shrieked.

Now that I think about it that was probably the point when my world **completely **imploded on itself.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourite and followed this story so far. It makes me extremely happy when I see that someone likes the things that I write.**

**Once again, thanks. **


	9. Chapter 9: Contest!

Chapter 9: Contest!

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT  
**

* * *

If studying was my brain, then music would be my heart.

"Let's start." Yukimura smiled.

We sat, facing each other, with my eyes closed.

Okay, that probably sounds a tad misleading.  
Between the two of us, we had decided that the first thing I should do is get over my phobia of being looked at in the eyes.

So I sat, eyes closed, with my fringe clipped out of the way. We counted from four, and I braced myself for the worst.

All I saw was a pair of eyes.  
A pair of eyes looking into the very depths of my heart.

I know it wasn't rational, but it felt as though those pair of eyes were peeling away everything, looking right into my soul. Into my past. Into everything.

My body, on its own, shook, my hands trembling. The world spun around me, my mind going black.

Only silence remained.

"Kurani-san?" A voice called.  
"Yukimura-san?"

Sitting up, I sighed. "I passed out, didn't I?"  
Yukimura nodded.

Though having my fringed constantly in front of my eyes was never convenient, it was like a shield against outsiders. A shield against everyone who looked my way.

"Let's try again."

* * *

An excruciating hour later, we stopped for the day, Yukimura being worried that I might hurt myself with all my blackouts.

Tamaki made up dinner, Sana-chan leaving straight afterwards, getting back to some jogging. Honestly, I don't remember what he said.

Sorry, when it come to my memory, I'm slightly hopeless.

Yukimura also left, saying that we'd try again tomorrow.

Studying seemed soothing in comparison, the words within the textbooks enlightening me with knowledge.

* * *

Morning, as ever, were extremely grumpy.

All of us were extremely grumpy, even Tamaki was.  
Normally, he'd be groggy for about the first fifteen minutes after waking up, meaning that me and Na-kun would be the only grumpy people.

"Can you pass the jam?"

Everyone in the room, including me, exuded a slightly homicidal aura.  
"I'll be off, then. Bye."

* * *

"Morning."

Like always, mornings were never good.

The tennis regulars sent me pictures on the photo sharing app like usual, and I laughed at their faces. I grinned happily when I sent a photo of the view of my window.

For the record, the only thing I can see from the music room window is the tennis club practicing.

My phone buzzed again, and as I checked it, I laughed slightly. I'll treasure that photo forever.

Tamaki, asleep on the sofa… in a maid dress, with a moustache drawn on in eye liner.

Just thinking about it lifts up my spirits.  
Actually, I don't know where that eye liner came from…

* * *

Unfortunately, Yukimura wasn't able to eat lunch with all of us, since he got called out by some girl we didn't know.

"You should've seen this match! Kurani-san, do you like tennis?"

Just like that, it suddenly seemed as though I was a chicken with a pack of wolves surrounding me.  
"I'm not very sporty… but I once saw a match and thought 'wow! Just like magic!'" I smiled, hoping that the atmosphere would change.

Wishes don't always come true.

It took fifteen minutes until Yukimura came back, looking slightly drained.

"A confession?" Marui guessed, whilst blowing a bubble with his gum.  
Yukimura nodded, eating his food.  
"So you're going out with them now?" Niou chipped in.  
"No, I said that I didn't think of them in that way."

Marui nudged me, ushering me to say something, probably expecting a feminine touch.  
"Fangirl?" I asked, looking down at some sheet music. Yukimura nodded. "And it's all good now, right?" I added, for good measure.

With a thumbs up, I went back to composing, not seeing the need to write anything else.  
"You're more insensitive than a guy."

I ignored them, turning away from them.  
"You're known as 'the man with four lungs,' right?" I asked, smiling menacing.

Though I hadn't really talked to Jackal very much before, I did think that maybe this was the perfect chance to get to know him…

Okay, I was doing this for my bet. Yes- I'm insensitive, and yes, I probably shouldn't do that.

But it's all in the past.

"Yes, I am." He said proudly.  
"Would mind helping me with jogging? Like I've said before, I'm not very good at athletics.  
It's because I don't have good stamina. Ummm… I thought that jogging would help so…"

There was silence, but I was in luck.

"Fine, but it'd be best if you didn't have your fringe in the way. It'll cling to your face when running."

We agreed to meet in two days after tennis practice, saying that he'd leave me behind if I didn't keep up with his pace.

Fortunately, I had a plan when it came to me not having my glasses.

* * *

Yukimura and I both sat down, on my bed, in my room.

Once again, it may sound slightly misleading, but I assure you, it was all for the sake of getting rid of my phobia.

We both agreed that a place with no sharp corners would be best, so my bedroom was the place we chose. Though sheet music was still everywhere, my double bed was big enough to cushion my fall if/when I pass out.

I put in headphones, closing my eyes to music. Fringe clipped out of the way, I opened my eyes.

The melody soothed my mind slightly, but my body trembled as my breath quickened. About four seconds later and I had to use a cushion to stop it.  
"Are you okay?" Yukimura asked. I gave him a thumbs up.  
"Yeah, what about you, though?" I didn't look up. "You've been acting weird since you were confessed to. What happened?"

Yukimura moved slightly, leaning back on his hands. I unclipped my hair, letting my fringe fall back into place.

"I don't like tossing someone's feelings away like that." He explained.  
"Then go out with them."  
"But-"  
"Then kindly say 'I have someone I like.'"  
"But I don't."

I sighed. "Then lie. Cheat. Twist the truth. Do whatever you feel the need to."

_Probably went a little too far… _I thought to myself. I sighed.

"Sorry, I'm not very good when it comes to stuff like that." ….

Yukimura smiled. "Kurani-san…"  
"Akiza. Call me Akiza. At least when at my house. My brother is also Kurani-san, and so is Tamaki… unfortunately."  
"Akiza-san, shall we try again?"

"Sure."

After another 40 minutes, we took a break, know that dinner would be ready any time soon.

"Did your parents' mind you coming here? What did you tell them?" I wondered, just trying to make conversation.

"I told them that I was helping a friend… which technically isn't a lie. They said 'I bet Kurani-san is a great guy! Tell him we say hi.'"  
"They thought… that me… a guy?" I pointed at myself. He nodded.

I almost fell on the floor.

"How are you going to go jogging with your fringe clipped back?" Yukimura wondered.

"Well, there's three possibilities that I've thought of. The first is me not going, the second is me getting over my phobia before then. Unlikely, I know. Finally… Sunglasses!"  
"Oh… Good idea?"

I couldn't help but laugh at him. He sounded so confused. I don't actually remember what happened after that, but before long the time came. I was going to go jogging with Jackal.


	10. Chapter 10: Exhaustion

Chapter Ten: Exhaustion

**Disclaimer: I don't own prince of tennis or any of the characters belonging to it.**

* * *

Exercise.

Even to this day, I cannot believe that I spent one of the days of **my **weekend doing… exercise? Oh the irony.

"Nice sunglasses." Jackal commented, not sounding sarcastic. I'm actually rather amazed that he didn't sound sarcastic.  
"I got you a pair as a thank you gift for helping me out."  
"Thanks, I've been really wanting some sunglasses." He smiled. "Seriously, though. I really have been wanting a pair of sunglasses. Thanks. Let's warm up."

The thought of running around like a lunatic until I was exhausted had never seemed like a positive concept to me, since well… There's no way of sugar coating it. I'm lazy, so I've never liked the concept.

We ran round, rather slowly at first, then stopped to stretch.  
Jackal had said that he'd leave me behind if I was too slow, but I could tell that he was matching my pace, which made me quite happy.

"I'll treat you to some lunch after this." I said, grinning.  
"Are you hungry?" He asked.  
"Nope."

People looked in our direction, slightly baffled. I can only imagine what I looked like.  
Jackal was getting serious, starting to go at his usual pace, and my legs were going numb.  
The wind hit against my face, cooling me down, though my body burned as my breath went shallow.

I felt as though I was going to throw up. Jackal looked back, me being a few paces behinds him. I nodded at him, telling him 'I can go on' without any words.

He nodded back at me, and we continued running.

I don't know how long we ran, but by the end of it, I didn't feel like eating. I laid down on some grass, looking up at the sky, gasping for air. Jackal was also sweating, but nowhere near the amount that I was.

_He's not human. _Was the conclusion I came to.

"If you'd like to, we can go running again. It won't be as bad once you get used to it." Jackal smiled slightly.

He was enjoying this.

The world seemed so dark with the sunglasses. At least he couldn't see my eyes. My thoughts spun round in a tangent as I tried to get my breath back.  
After taking a deep breath I gave him a thumbs up, not having the energy to say anything. It was like mornings all over again, but worse. My body felt like it weighed a ton, all my energy drained.

"We should eat something to get you blood sugar levels up." Jackal held his hand out, smiling. "C'mon, let's get lunch. You're paying, right?"

We sat in a café, looking slightly suspicious.

Unless, of course, two people wearing sunglasses is considered normal. Especially when it had started raining. My track suit bottoms seemed to cling to me as my baggy top seemed too tight. Jackal happily drank some coffee whilst I ate some cake contently, my arm seeming to weigh more than it should.

Jackal looked down at his phone, sighing slightly, though he didn't look annoyed. "I got a text from Bunta and Akaya. They say 'meet us at the arcade. Bring Kurani-san as well, if she is still alive.' Shall we go?"

* * *

"Ugl-" Smack! "What's with the glasses?" Akaya impatiently asked.

I grinned, ready to kill Akaya. "Want to die? No? Then show some respect! Oh, wait a sec, I'm going to the toilet."

The bathroom was… Actually, I think I'll pass on trying to describe the bathroom.  
It was a bathroom. The end.

Anyway, I pulled out the bobble that had been holding up my hair, allowing my fringe to fall back onto my face. I took of the sunglasses, amazed at the brightness of the world.

I walked back out, a tad amazed. The three of them were playing a shooting game, and it was quite funny.  
Akaya impatiently shot everything he saw, including his comrades, whilst Jackal complained slightly, telling him to have more patience. Marui blew bubbles with his gum whilst playing as well, getting slightly frustrated. I smiled happily.

_Friends… huh? _

I then sank into the realization of what I had put on stake. It sent shivers through my body, bringing back the feeling of me being sick.

"Kurani-sempai, want to have a game? Or are you too scared that you'll lose?" Akaya's personality shifted completely. I cracked my knuckles, hitting him on the head. "Like hell I am! Hurry up or I'll start the game without you!"

* * *

"So you spent the majority of yesterday in an arcade…. Playing shooting games?"

Yukimura smiled, being entertained in the things that I had done after jogging. "And you had to go home because you were so exhausted?"

"Please stop repeating what I say." I said jokingly. "Let's try again, already."

I clipped my fringe out of the way, closing my eyes. Like usual, Yukimura counted down, and I opened them. My body shuddered, my breath quickening…

"What did you bet with your brother?" Yukimura interrupted my panicking state. I took a deep breath in, trying to stay in control.  
"U-um…. If he wins… then… uhm… I'll have to stop being… friends… with… everyone… and…."

At that point, I passed out. New record, though!

"You were saying?" Yukimura said. I put a cushion over my face.  
"I betted that if I lose, I'll have to leave Japan, go back to England and back to way I was before. No Japan. No Rikkai Dai. No frien-"  
"Look at me when you say something like that." Yukimura seemed mad. "At least look at me when you say something like that. Please…"

I lifted the cushion away from my face. Yukimura looked sad. He wasn't looking at my eyes, instead down at the bed.  
My heart throbbed in my chest, my body not able to feel anything but sorrow. My breathing began to deepen, my chest hurting more and more with every breath. Every time I blinked brought me closer onto the verge of tears.

I cried, for the first time in a while, and I wasn't sure why. "Sorry. I'm really sorry."

The new, exciting world that had surrounded me was far too precious, that the thought of going back to a life of solitude was… I didn't know how to phrase it. It'd be... _It'd be the worst thing to ever happen to me. _I thought.

"Then don't lose." I looked up again, my tears stopping. "Win Kurani Akiza, win."

I smiled. "Thanks, Yukimura-san."  
"Seiichi. If I have to call you Akiza then call me Seiichi."

I rubbed my puffy eyes, smiling.

"Oh yeah, I think you've conquered your fear. You haven't passed out and you've been looking right at me."

My jaw dropped, and I was overcome by sheer joy. I hugged Yukimura, smiling like an idiot.  
"Thanks, Seiichi-kun!"  
_Sugar cookies…_ I let go, but Yukimura hugged me back, extremely happy himself. "Congratulations. Shall we ask someone else to help out, so you can completely get over it?"

I let go, leaning back. "Wait… It's not over?"


	11. Chapter 11: Perseverance

Chapter Eleven: Perseverance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. **

Talking past the time by, as I had nothing else to do. Yukimura left to go help his sister with her homework, leaving me to ponder the reasons for the universe.

Okay, I was actually thinking of llamas. But you've got to admit, pondering the reasons of the universe sounds better, right?

Basically, I spent some time just talking to myself. Once I decided that talking to myself was weird, I convinced myself to study.

"Good morning, Aki- Kurani-san." Yukimura greeted.  
"Morning, Seiichi-kun." There was silence, then I glared at Yukimura. "What happened to calling me by my first name?"  
"I thought that was just for..." I cracked my knuckles, not in the mood to be sociable. "Sorry, Akiza-chan."

I smiled happily. "Kurani-san, I see that you're still alive. Would you mind helping with our tennis practice? You'll need something you can run in." Yanagi said, exuding a menacing aura.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem that 'no' was an applicable answer. "Okay?"  
I looked at Yukimura, being extremely confused. He shrugged his shoulders.

Actually, I think we ended up with a fool-proof language that didn't involve speaking.

"This is Kurani Akiza, and she will be helping you with building your stamina."

Yanagi had been told to help the first and second years build their stamina. Unfortunately, he had decided that getting me involved would be the easiest way to meet his task.

Jackal gave me his sunglasses, and I tied my hair up in a bobble. Track suit bottoms and my P.E top were all I had with me, as well as trainers.

_Damn, this will be painful… _I thought.  
"So the aim is this: everyone will had a sticker on their backs, if Kurani-san pulls that sticker of, you lose. The losers will face a forfeit. The winners will get to use the courts."

"Why me, of all people?" I asked Yanagi.  
"Because you survived jogging with Jackal. There is a 70.65% chance that you have an aptitude for this."  
I sighed. There was no getting my way out of it  
"Fine. We're running around the school grounds three times?"  
"Oh, and if you get all the tags off of the first and second years, we'll treat you to some cookies… and sheet music."

_Hmm… Guess there's no helping it, especially when cookies are on the line. Sheet music as well… Let's do this!_

"Jackal will also be taking part of this exercise to make sure there is no cheating."

"Ready, set, go!" Yanagi set the students off. "Kurani-san, 25 more seconds until you start."

I breathed in deeply, ready to go. _Thank goodness that it's actually sunny this time._

"Go!"

Me and Jackal ran, and I smiled slightly. The sun was out, the breeze cooling me down. "Listen, Kurani-san. You need to get all of their stickers off as soon as possible. Even if you pull their stickers off, they'll still have to run. That's why you'll win this game."

I grinned. "Stop giving me help. I could figure that much out on my own." _And here I was thinking that I'd get away with running like a lunatic. Shame… _"Shall we?"

A deep breath later, and my legs took charge. I could first see the first years that had already run out of gas. I ripped off their stickers, which was more like a sheet of paper, saying 'Rikkai Dai' on it. Tearing them into two was easy.  
"Bye, bye." I waved at them, grinning happily.

Jackal gave me a thumbs up, and we continued. We carried on, not exactly pacing ourselves. Instead, we were running like maniacs, trying to outlast others.

I knew that it'd be the most successful plan yet. Just run like a lunatic. It kind of reflects with outlook on life…

I just really wanted some sheet music and cookies.

As soon as we saw more people, I sprinted to pull of their stickers, tearing them in two.  
"M-monster!" They screamed, being left behind.  
I gasped for air, being exhausted already. "I think I'll die before I get them all." I told Jackal.  
"Don't worry. From this point they'll be in a packs of people, all of them fighting for first place. We've almost gone all the way round the first lap. After that it's only two more laps to go."

"Only?" I laughed slightly, though I didn't have much breath to spare for such things. "Think I can manage it?"

A thumbs up later, and we sprinted off. "How are," I gasped. "You not tired?"  
"I've built up my stamina."  
"You're not human."  
"I'm rather impressed as well. You're still standing and we've been practically sprinting."  
"I'll let you into a story." I hit my leg. "Can't feel a thing. Probably could topple down any second."

Running. Gasping. Talking. I could hear some of the runners. I turned to Jackal and he nodded. I kept running pulling one of the packs stickers off, but someone stopped abruptly, putting their feet out….

I screamed. Seriously, falling over really hurts. The kouhai laughed, running off ahead.

However, there was something I was more worried about. Jackal's sunglasses had flung off in the accident, the lenses being smashed underneath me.

"Jackal-san, sorry, I think that I broke your sunglasses. I'll get you another pair." I breathed in deeply, staying calm.  
"Will you be okay?" Jackal asked. "Without the glasses."  
"I'll make them suffer." I smiled. "And I think I'm even more threatening like this. I look like something from a horror film." I took a deep breath, my breathing almost back to normal. "C'mon, they'll get away." I looked Jackal in the eye, and he nodded.

_Time to kick their butts. _


	12. Chapter 12: Drained

Chapter Twelve: Drained

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.  
I apologize for all/any bad language.  
**

* * *

"How is she still moving?"

I ran as fast as my body would take me, chasing after the second years as though my life depended on it. Rip!

I'll honestly admit that I thoroughly enjoyed tormenting my Kouhai.  
"Let's go Jackal-san." I gave Jackal a high-five, and we set off for the next pair at warp speed.

I'm not going to say that it was easy. That'd be a stupid lie.  
Seriously though, I'm amazed that me and Jackal didn't collapse. Though, Jackal isn't human, so it's understandable. Even now, I'm can't comprehend how I didn't pass out.

We finally got onto our second lap, and we finally reached the front. _Last ones! _The thought made me almost jump for joy. No literally though, I didn't have the energy for that.

Rip went their stickers.

"Jackal-san, I did it!" I fist pumped the air.

However, without the adrenaline running through my body, I felt empty. Jackal ran off somewhere, saying that I should go on ahead.

Running without anyone next to you is rather lonely. All I could think of was how tired I was.

Several minutes later, a hat was put on my head, and Jackal was by my side again. I touched the hat, sure that I had seen it somewhere before. "That's Sanada-fukubuchou's hat. Buchou says 'Well done.'"

I smiled at Sana-chan's hat. "Did he actually say that?"

"He nodded at me, so I presume that's what he was trying to say."

We set off, now aiming to get back as soon as possible.

"Jackal-san, let's have a race for who can come in first, shall we?"

* * *

"I think I'm dead." I laid on a bench, drinking water as though I'd die without it. "Am I dead? I'm pretty sure that I am."

"You're not dead. Congratulations, Akiza-chan, you pulled all the stickers off." Yukimura sounded serious, like always, especially when it came to tennis.

"Yeah, but I lost my wager with Jackal-san. It was slightly impossible though."

I closed my eyes, my ego inflating. _I did it. I actually did it!_

I'm sure that _if _I had the energy, I would've done a victory dance. Instead, I lay there, on the bench, waiting till the nauseous feeling went away.

"As promised, there will be some cookies and sheet music. I did say there was a 70.65% chance that you had an affinity for this. I think you've proved my data right."

"You look like something from a horror movie, Kurani-sempai." Akaya chipped in.

"Thanks." I didn't have the energy to be sarcastic, nor did I have the energy to brutally murder someone. Shame, I know.

* * *

"Are you sure that you're okay, Akiza-chan?" Yukimura called.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a sec to change out of these clothes. I'll be in my room, won't be long."  
"Congrats on not passing out, even without the sunglasses." Yukimura shouted from the staircase.

I laughed slightly. "Thanks. Shame though, Jackal looked so good in those sunglasses. I promised that I'd get him another pair. Still feeling guilty towards your fangirls?"

_Top… Ooh a top! Now trousers… _ I fumbled around in my wardrobe. _Why do I have so many clothes?_

"Not really. Are you done yet?"

I wondered out from my room, walking downstairs. Yukimura walked with me and we went to the kitchen.

"Thanks" He politely said, holding the tea I served in his hands. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'm fine already." I smiled. "Sure you're okay?"

"I'm good. Actually, I've always wondered, with a house like this, do you have a garden?"

* * *

"What happened to this place?" Yukimura said, surprised.

That was the first time actually, that I had seen such a look on his face.

I looked out, and sighed. "Since I used to live alone, I never felt the need to keep it tidy. Auntie said that just cutting the grass would be enough but… I forgot."

Yukimura looked angry. "It looks more like a swamp than a garden." Scanning the garden, Yukimura sighed. "Can't you garden?" I shook my head vigorously. "Then it can't be helped. Mind if I give you a hand with it? There's someone I know from another school who likes gardening, we could get them to help."

"Why would they want to help?" I asked, sitting down.

"I don't think anyone would want to leave something in this state."

I laughed, but then realized how much hard work it would take. "I get it, the garden's a pig sty. Let's go get something to eat. You're paying."

* * *

Several days past, and then, out of nowhere, Yukimura said that his friend had arrived.

I waited at the garden on the rooftop, where the gardening club usually look after the various plants.

"Ahhh… Ecstasy!" Someone said.

_Who said that? I bet they're ever so slightly crazy for saying something like that. And if they're here at Rikkai Dai, they'll have to be insane. I think everyone here is. Well- either threatening or crazy, or both _I thought to myself. "This is Kurani Akiza, Akiza-chan, this is Shiraishi Kuranosuke, captain of Shitenhoji." Yukimura introduced.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled, my bangs blown in the gentle breeze.

"Same here." Shiraishi replied. "I really love the garden here. So many flowers. This is Kiiroibara*, right? It means jealousy."

I sighed, not understanding what they were saying. Yes, I'm fluent in Japanese, but please understand that I'm still English, and so I call flowers by their English names. I know absolutely nothing about Hanakotoba*.

Sighing again, I went to go get myself a drink. "Want anything, I'm going to get a drink."

"Water, please." Was Yukimura's response.

"I'm fine, thanks, Kurani-san."

"How long are you going to take?" I asked, whilst reading a study book. Though I said that, the calm atmosphere was enough to sooth my qualms. "Shiraishi-san, is it?" I thought aloud. "Shiriuki? No, Shukaku? Shitsuji…"

I heard laughing. "It's Shiraishi."

"So I right the first time? Anyway we need your help. You see, um, my garden gives off an ominous aura. Kind of like a forbidden land… or a swamp, depending on the perspective."

"Shall we get going then?"

* * *

**Sorry if there's anything that's not accurate here. If there is, don't be afraid to point it out. **

**Improvements are welcome. A huge thanks to everyone who's favourited and follows this story, it really makes me happy. **

***Kiiroibara = Yellow Rose**

***Hanakotoba is the Japanese form of the language of flowers. In this practice plants were given codes and passwords. **


	13. Chapter 13: Transformation

Chapter Thirteen: Transformation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.  
**

* * *

"Shall we start with planning what we'll do?"

The three of us sat, slightly befuddled, with an A3 piece of paper, at the table. "So this should be used for grass area and this part is the patio. Flowers could go here and here."

"Sure, but could the plants be already grown? It'd take to long for seeds to grow, and by the time they do, I would've forgotten about them." The smile on my face was fake, and I honestly loathed the idea of having to spend time watering plants. But alas, my grudge against gardening went unspoken.

"There's some shops that'll sell the flowers." Yukimura suggested.

"Let's go…" I said, sound unmotivated.

* * *

"We'll take these." I handed the money, not very pleased.

"You sure have bought a lot. How are you going to carry all of this?" The woman asked, her concern sincere.  
"It's fine, we've called our friends to give us a hand." Was my answer.

* * *

"My, my, so many young men. I wonder how you hang around with such handsome men. Ah, youth."

I sighed, hoping that it'd be the way shopping would normally be. However, without my fringe covering my face, I wasn't scary anymore. Just a normal teenage girl.

"Handsome?" I muttered to myself.

"Are you sure you can pay for all of this? Akiza-chan, I can lend you some of the money if you want." Yukimura sounded worried.

"Its fine, Okaa*-san has always wanted me to take up something more feminine then piano, so she said that she'd cover the costs." I looked down the road, seeing more of our backup arriving. "I'm more worried about how we move some much stuff."

Each of us ended up carrying a couple of plants on our backs. We didn't look weird at all… Maybe…

* * *

By about 1pm, we had successfully filled my 'garden' with a heap load of plants.

Basically, it looked worse than it did before. "Maybe we should do it section by section. Do you have some gardening equipment?" Shiraishi suggested. I nodded feebly, going into the storage room to go get it.

"I'll go plan some more of it out" Yukimura said. Everyone else left, saying that I owed them one.

"Are you two going out?" Shiraishi asked, sounding slightly curious.

"No, we're not." My voice went monotone, the urge to hit someone with the little gardening shovel increasing. _Revenge… _I thought to myself, as evil thoughts came to mind.

"Shiraishi-san, what did you think when you went to Rikkai Dai's rooftop garden?" I asked, smiling.

"Ahh ecstasy." We said in unison.

"Jinx!" I shouted, so happy. "Touch wood."

Revenge is bitter-sweet.

* * *

"Akiza-chan, are you okay?" Yukimura asked, wondering why I was giggling out of control.

"I'm fine, though my sides hurt from laughing."

"Did something happen?"

"I said 'jinx,' so now Shiraishi-san can't speak until I say his full name." I burst into giggles.

"I see. Well, let's carry on with the gardening."

* * *

You'd think that after a short period of time, I'd get bored, find the joke no longer funny, and say his full name. Don't underestimate how funny I found it.

So much so that Shiraishi began to use paper and pencil to communicate. "You're staying at Seiichi-kun's for a night."

'We will arrive tomorrow early morning.' He wrote. 'Hopefully we will be finished before lunch, and then we will do whatever we want.'

"You two can play street tennis, then." I suggested, smiling.

The last thing I remember doing that day was giving the two of them a thumbs up, then going to sleep.

* * *

Wind blew my hair as we walked down the street, my baggy grey top almost flying up, revealing my stomach. Thank goodness for 'almost.'

Guys and girls alike stared at Yukimura and Shiraishi, both of them carrying their tennis gear. People from my school recognized Yukimura, and a crowd gathered.

Thank llamas that Shiraishi couldn't speak. He looked slightly irritated at the girls making obvious attempts at flirting with the two of them, though he still didn't say a word. Just stood there, smiling.

Yukimura also looked tired with all the attention, and I sighed, though slightly glad at the same time. Fortunately, they didn't notice me, and if they did, they either didn't know who I was, or didn't recognize me.

"Sorry, but these two need to go." I said, grapy them by the wrists.

"What, are you all on a date?" A girl said sarcastically.

Okay, I snapped. Yes, I know, I'm quick to anger. To be fair, you should be used to it by now.

"Of course, the three of us are on a date." I cringed at the thought. "Please excuse us, we have to get going."

"But then tell us who that Bishounen is!" Fangirls shrieked.

"This is Shiraishi Kurano… Kuroko? No, it's Shiraishi Kuranosuke, I think…" I breathed deeply, rather proud. "Anyway, bye!"

Naturally, that was the part that we fled the scene.

* * *

Banging my head against the wall seemed to jolt back reality as my dignity burnt away.

"Kurani-san?" Smack went my head. "Kurani-san, I you should stop that." Smack. "You really save us."  
"I've destroyed what was left of my pride in the process though." Smack.

Crimson red…

* * *

"Kurani-san, are you okay? You passed out." Shiraishi called out my name.

"Why are you talking?" I frowned, disappointed. "I said your name, didn't I?"

I felt like a kid who had lost at hide and seek.

"Please don't say 'it is just a game.'" I smiled slightly, though in that moment, I realized that I acted like a kid, caught up in stupid games.

Instead of the harsh criticism I expected, Shiraishi said nothing. He just smiled, getting back to tennis.

I'll admit, when I saw the two of them playing tennis, I was awestruck. Every rally, volley, drop shot and smash seemed magical to me. Even when served, I was still amazed. The fluency of every move, and the pressure Yukimura exerted; it all filled me anticipation.

Anticipation for the next move.

…

"Akiza-chan, you're awake?" Yukimura called out my name as my eyes tried to open.

My body felt heavy, my legs….

Brain power activated, and I finally realized what was happening. Shiraishi was giving me a piggy back ride. "You fell asleep." Shiraishi explained. "I think you got overexcited."

"I think that you're wrong." I retorted; he was right though. Yukimura smiled at me, reminding me of an urgent question. "Who won?" I asked, dying to know the answer.

"It was a tie, so far. We didn't finish the game." Shiraishi explained.

I sighed, disappointed.

"I see." I murmured, resting my head against Shiraishi's back.

My eyes closed by themselves, sleep taking over.

* * *

When I woke up, I saw a miracle.

If my life was a fairy-tale, then before me would be the royal garden.

"It… Uhm…" Language had failed me, my mind still thinking I was in the dream world.

"You were out for 2 hours, so we finished the garden without you." Shiraishi explained. "Look's good, right?"

Flowers of various colours outlines the garden, the colours all complimenting one another. Grass seemed like a memory of the past, since it had once been more like a maze.

I smiled, rather amazed at what people can do when they put their minds to it.

"Thanks for helping with the garden, Seiichi-kun, Shiraishi-san," Words would not process as my brain was too busy being amazed by the garden. "It's amazing."

That night, I couldn't help but get a little philosophical.

Ever since, there has been an A3 poster on my wall saying 'Inspiration is everywhere; just look.'

_I'm ready to do this bet. _


	14. Chapter 14: Fake

Chapter Fourteen: Fake

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT or any of its characters. **

* * *

I learned something new. I can't use makeup.

Sitting in front of a mirror, foundation on my hands, I tried to apply it to my face. Weirdly enough, I looked like a tangerine.

_I should ask for help… _The thought crossed my mind. _But who should I ask? _

* * *

"Why did you ask _us _for makeup advice?"

Before me stood the Rikkai Dai regulars, looking a mixture of confused and irritated. "I don't have any friends that are girls?" Honesty felt like being stung by a hoard of bees.

"I see…" A few of them laughed at me, others looking sympathetic, whereas Sanada looked at me as though I was an alien.

"I thought girls automatically knew about this stuff." Akaya mocked me.

"Sorry, but my life **isn't **a shoujo manga."

* * *

I don't think I've ever laughed so much in one day. We had a dress rehearsal in drama, so I now have a picture of Sanada in his costume with Yukimura me stood together as my wallpaper.

After that, Niou and Marui went and asked their fangirls about makeup, making them all very confused.

Lunch was the highlight of the day. We all sat, looking rather amazed, staring into a girl's magazine with makeup tips in it. Honestly, I didn't think it was possible for them to do something like that.

"So this is what you do?" I said, holding the brush in one hand, foundation in the other.

"At least look in the mirror whilst you do it…" Marui said, eating doughnuts.

"You're doing it wrong."

On the down side, I think they knew more about makeup then I did.

After about an hour, I gave up and went to a cosmetic shop.

"It's okay, you'll learn with time." The lady said, smiling.

_I've been reborn. _The blemishes on my face were concealed, the redness covered up. But…

I didn't look like me. It was as though the makeup covered my flaws, but masked part of my identity as it did so. I looked fake.

"Do you have skin care products?" I asked, hoping that it'd be a better solution.

* * *

I don't know how many times I'll mention this, but I hate mornings. What I hate more than that is having to put skin care products on…. In the morning. It seemed as though I was going to be stood in front of the mirror applying toner and moisturizer forever. Seriously, **forever. **

My hair was held back by a hair clip, my chartreuse eyes in full view. Just doing that was enough for me to feel 'reborn.'

* * *

"I like your hair." Yukimura pointed out, "Looks cute."

I would've blushed like crazy or died from happiness… but I still had some sanity left. Also, part of the magazine we all read said 'if a friend is trying to have a makeover, compliment them to boost their confidence.'

"Thanks… I'm going to play the piano."

* * *

The tune died out as my phone buzzed, my instinct being to check the photo sending app. _3 messages…_

One of them was from Niou, being a picture of a tennis ball. The other was from Shiraishi, a picture of a daisy. And the last was from Yukimura, a picture of Sanada and Jackal, with a note saying 'how is piano going?'

I took a picture of the keys, sending it off to Yukimura. Na-kun also texted me, saying how 'amazing' it was at Hyotei.

As a sigh escaped my lips, my mind concentrated on playing the music I had composed, making sure to express the innermost feelings locked within it.

…

People seemed rather shocked about my face. I don't really know why, since my face had always looked the same as any other day. They were also amazed about my eye colour (once again, I don't know why.)

Just by clipping up my fringe, I had gotten so much attention…

I didn't like it. Girls muttered things, judging my complexion as boys muttered on about how my face was a let-down.

"I don't know what they were expecting." I said to Yukimura, irritated.

"Ignore them; you look fine."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm curious as to what they were expecting, but I couldn't care less what they think." Was my automatic response. "Uhm… Sorry, I'm not exactly 'feminine.'"

Yukimura laughed, smiling. "It's fine."

One of the many mysteries of the world is how I can collapse onto the floor whilst clapping like a seal, without the faintest clue what I'm laughing at.

Basically, that's what happened.

"What's so funny?" Yukimura wondered.

Thank goodness we were in the music room, where people could see my laughing fit.

"Your face?" I said, hoping to remember how to breathe as the laughter wouldn't stop. "Shall we get to actually practicing?"

…

Walking home seemed to be a relief, and staring at the sky was even better.

"Hello, Akiza-chan." Yukimura smiled, sitting beside me on the grass. Blue skies filled with clouds were always the best, the gentle breeze being the cherry on top.

"Seiichi-kun, can I ask you something deep?"

"Of course."

"What do you consider a 'transformation'?"

Birds chirping was all that could be heard, as Yukimura thought hard about the question. "Changing; either physically or mentally. Just changing."

"How do people change, though? Does shoving makeup on supposed to count as changing?"

"Perhaps it depends on the person. I'll walk you home, I'm sure your brother's missing you."

"He's having a ball at Hyotei… no pun intended. He's staying at Tamaki's place since it's close to the school. I'm home alone."

I smiled, jokingly saying. "Want to come round for tea, just the two of us?" I winked, sarcasm ringing deep in my voice.

Yukimura doesn't know, or couldn't tell that I was being sarcastic. Perhaps it's my fault for being fluent in it, but still, you don't expect them to say "yes," unless their crazy.

In case you didn't know, Yukimura Seiichi is crazy.

…

"Sorry for the intrusion."

"It's fine. Give me a hand with watering the flowers?"

"Okay."

Being alone with Yukimura was probably supposed to be awkward, but instead, we laughed a lot. I was my weird self, but Yukimura didn't mind, just smiled and laughed with me. Or was he laughing _at _me?

"Can I ask you a deep question, Akiza-chan?"

"Sure."

"What's 'love'?"

I laughed, gripping the watering can tight. "Damn, that's deep." I wondered. "Don't know I've never been in love… I think. Shall we look it up on the internet?"

* * *

"Creepy… 'Tender affection?' 'Desire?' 'Lust?'" I read out some of the words. "I don't think I 'lust' for anyone."

Yukimura looked with me, smiling as he did so. "Really? Look at this other description of it."

'A person whom you can be yourself around, without having to worry about appearances. Someone who's the equivalent of your best friend, but you think about them and worry about them more than you do yourself.'

"Yeah… Still nope. Well, I love my brother Na-kun, but just as a brother, of course. I love Sana-chan and the others like I would family."

"What about me?" Yukimura wondered.

"Hmm… I've never thought about it." I thought about it for a second, but decided against thinking too hard, so I changed the subject. "Can you cook? If not, we'll have to eat out. I can't cook to save my life."

"I'll cook."

Awkwardness has a way to bite you when you think it's not there. It is always there, waiting for its chance to strike.

"I'm going to go change from my uniform. Do you want to borrow some of Tamaki's clothes?"

"I'll change after this is ready to simmer."

"Be back in five then."

…

"WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY CLOTHES?" I yelled. "AND THEY'RE ALL THE SAME…"

My wardrobe, filled with crap items that were in the way. Sweatpants and Hoodies were the only clothes, my only 'going out' clothes being in the wash. "Why do I have five pairs of identical track suit bottoms?" I thought aloud.

"Are you okay, Akiza-chan?" Yukimura called from downstairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

_Stupid wardrobe… _Grabbing pen and paper, I wrote: 'Transformation to do list: Get haircut, new clothes.'

Without a thought in the matter, I grabbed the first thing my hand touched, not particularly caring all too much what it was.

…

"Seiichi-kun, how about this?" I said, pointing to a blue jumper.

We stood, rather amazed, in Tamaki's room. I thought that I had a lot of clothes, but Tamaki's walk in  
wardrobe was more like a department in a store.

"Okay, I'll get changed then." He wondered off into the bathroom near Tamaki's bedroom.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to borrow these?"

"Yeah, there's plenty of them, and this is just the stuff he couldn't keep at his place."

* * *

"You what?" The words came out in English, confusing Yukimura. "I meant… You what?" I repeated, this time in Japanese.

"I made dinner."

"How? Seriously, are you sure you're not a wizard."

"Can we talk?" Yukimura's tone was calm, his eyes not averting my gaze. I smiled, pretending not to notice the change in atmosphere.

"Sure~"

"Seriously, Akiza-chan, can we talk?"


	15. Chapter 15: Question

Chapter Fifteen: Question

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.  
**

* * *

"So, what's up?"  
"Well…" Yukimura tensed up for a moment, thinking about the words he was about to say. "I think I have someone I like."  
"In a romantic way?" He nodded, seeming rather flustered. "I see… And what do you want to know?"  
"What should I do?"

"Just ask her out. Or him, you never know…" I grinned, laughing at Yukimura's face.

Ringing seemed like a distant memory, since I didn't remember the last time the landline phone had rang.  
"This is the Kurani residence."  
"Hello, I'm Satomi Ren from Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, is Kurani Akiza there?"  
"Satomi-sensei?"  
"Kurani-chan? Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice. I was hoping you'd give a speech in assembly for some of the mock exams coming up."  
"What's the catch?" I smiled at Yukimura, feeling slightly sorry for the fact that our conversation had been halted.  
"Well… It's an assembly meant for the delinquents and underachievers."  
"Whatever."

I hung up.  
"Akiza-chan?" Yukimura smiled gently at me, a sympathetic look on his face.  
"Like I was saying before, just ask them out."  
"It's not that simple. What if they she says 'no'?"  
"Then tough luck?" I sighed. "Sorry, I don't really know anything about romance. Hmm… You could get to know her better?"

"If it'll help, then I'll give it a try. Thanks, Akiza-chan."  
…

I don't really remember much happening after that, apart from eating dinner. To be frank, it was awkward after Yukimura mentioned that he had someone he liked.  
It's just that it felt as though he was so far away, even though he was on the other side of the table.

Though, there was one piece of delicious conversation.

"So Akiza-chan, you can't cook?"  
"Nope."  
"Do you make your lunches?"  
"Nope, I buy them from the store on the way to school."  
"Isn't that expensive? I'll make extra for you so you can save some money, if you'd like?"

I stood up, hands on the table. "Really? Thank you!"

Sadly, there's always something that comes back to bite you in the butt when something good happens.

* * *

"Speech? I though I didn't have to do that?"  
"I'm afraid you're the only person who can do this."  
"Like hell I am." I muttered, loud enough for all the teachers to hear. "I'll do it, but I want something in return." Satomi-sensei nodded, and I continued. "You'll owe me a favour. Whenever I need something, no matter how small or big, you'll have to help. Got it?" _He's actually agreeing to something like that? _"Then I'll help."

"Sorry for not mentioning it earlier, but it's actually in half an hour."

* * *

My world had seemingly condensed, being focused on my previous life and my new one. Peace doesn't last forever.

…

Crowds of people sat in the hall, each of them looking more and more annoyed than the last. The Rikkai Dai uniform was worn like a dirty towel, the urge to discard it evident on their faces. _They must really hate school. _A wooden podium stood on stage, being the singular object on stage.

My legs stiffened, refusing to move, to accept that over a hundred people were going to be looking at my face all at once. _I need by bangs. _

Trembling without my bangs was a usual things, but adrenaline kicked in, even with my own personal shield protecting me.

All I could hear was silence.

_Just breathe. _

"Everyone has a d-dream. Something that they aim for. Something they hope will be become a reality. Whether it's…" _Just breathe. Damn it, calm down! _"Whether real, or imaginary, or a string of hope, everyone's dreams and aspirations are interconnected." _Calm down! There's nothing to worry about… Just improvise. _"I'll admit, I had nothing. No friends, no hopes, no dreams, no talents. I was nothing. A mere shadow among crowds of people."

_What am I on about? U-uhm, what was I supposed to do? Motivate? Yeah… probably._

"Then it changed. I found a passion, something I wanted to do, something that I thought was so precious that it would break with a mere touch. Dreams are fragile, and hope is the glue that holds it together. I had nothing, but… I found something that gave me the courage to change. I used to be merely a pair of eyes hidden behind a mask of hair." My hands shook, but they reached for my bangs, pushing them behind my ears.

"But I found people that I cared about. Laughter, happiness and… Love. It may seem harsh, and the road isn't short, but deep down I know that if I don't give it my all, I'd always regret it. That's why I'm here, in front of over two hundred people, doing what I would've previously passed out over… just by thinking about it.

I hated studying, and I hated school. Studying was the thing that ruined my childhood, and school ostracized me from the music which I loved. I'll say this again: I was nothing. But, even though I would say this, over and over, I knew that it was a good thing. Since I had nothing, I could build up the things I want. If you want to get a good job, study. Want to be an actress? Then act like it, for goodness sake!

Dreams are fragile, so keep them alive before they break, and give it your all to reach the things you want to reach. I'm Kurani Akiza and thank you for listening."

Only silence remained. Then a singular person stood up, clapping. More and more people stood up, looking slightly confused, but motivated at the same time. I smiled, taking a bow, and walking off of the stage.

_In your face, stage fright. _

* * *

"Kurani-sempai? You're speech was totally OMG, like the best thing… ever. Seriously, YOLO!"

I cringed, feeling bad for the girl's lack of vocabulary. "Thanks."  
"I just like y'know, thought that you were a creepy nerd. But you're like, really nice!" She continued.  
"Thanks."

"I actually thought that you were just like, umm… shagging the tennis club or something, but it seems that you actually care about stuff."  
"Okay…?" Walking off, I tried not laugh.

_Well… That mission failed. _Was all I could think of as I almost cried from laughter.

…

"Nice speech." Akaya smiled, mockingly. "Seriously, though, Kurani-sempai, I thought that you'd have a mental breakdown on stage. Instead, it wasn't too shabby."

"Thanks, and if you don't mind, I think I'll pummel you to death now." I cracked my knuckles, grinning.  
"I think, Akaya is trying to say, in his modest fashion, that he respects you for standing on stage as well as helping the tennis club." Jackal translated what Akaya had previously said.

"Thank you, Akaya… but wasn't that assembly meant for underachievers?" I paused, putting my hand up. "Wait… Never mind."


End file.
